My Bestfriend's Girlfriend
by Moonbay
Summary: Takes place in the middle of the game, during the time that Vincent was already cheating. It portrays the struggle Johnny had to face as he desperately tries to keep his feelings under control as well as the POV of the other characters. R&R please!
1. CH I: Jonathan Ariga

Chapter I: Jonathan Ariga

It was a hazy, dim-lit room - the smoke from a lit cigarette that sat comfortably on a crystal astray on the end table filled the air. On the messy bed laid two figures immersed under a thin blanket that hid their naked bodies. A woman slept quietly as her soft, pale cheek rested against the man's chest, her soft breath caressing a small spot on his skin. His half-closed eyes kept it's gaze straight ahead, focusing on the red blinking light from his electronic alarm clock that reflected against the white coated ceiling above. He could barely feel his right arm as it had turned numb from the weight of the girl's head leaning against it for what felt like hours. It was a night like many others - this is how Jonathan Ariga would usually spend his nights. The only thing that had changed, maybe, is that he had been with the same woman for quite sometime now which is something he hadn't done before and for a good reason.

Women are creatures of emotions and through experience, it had taught him that they always seem to want more than physicality. Because of this, he had always made sure to make it clear to them before opening the door of his apartment that this is a one night thing and that is all there is to it and so for a while he had gotten used to seeing many women and not being tied down to anybody. Many mistake him for a player... well, maybe he is but what many may not know about him is that he is the very embodiment of a hopeless romantic. He believes in true love and refuses to be tied down to someone who he doesn't believe to be his 'soulmate.' Then out of nowhere comes this woman who had agreed for the two of them to see each other without expecting him to commit. It seemed like an enigma to him at the time and thus their so-called "boyfriend-girlfriend" relationship started.

"Bzzt, bzzt!" Jonathan's cellphone vibrated erratically against the table, sliding against the glass bit by bit each time it buzzed. He reached over with his left hand, feeling around for his cell until his hand had finally grasped the device. He winced slightly as the bright screen blinded him for a second before finally being able to adjust to the light and the name 'Katherine' flashed before his very eyes. He shot up straight in an instant, nearly knocking the girl off the bed.

"Oww..." She muttered slightly, rubbing her head. She laid still on the bed, watching Jonathan's back as he picked up the phone.

"Hello? Katherine?" His voice reflecting his usual calm tone, there was no trace of grogginess in his voice at all.

"Hi Johnny, sorry to call you so late but by any chance, is Vincent with you?" Katherine's concerned voice sounded almost like a melody against Johnny's ear - refreshing like the first splash of cool water on your face in the early morning hours when you had just woken up. He couldn't help but smirk to himself as he placed his right hand against his forehead, pulling back his bangs away from his eyes. What exactly did he expect to hear from her? Of course she would only call if it's regarding Vincent.

"No, he's not." He replied as he pulled away the blanket, swinging his legs off the bed and placing his feet against the cool floor tiles. "Is he not picking up his phone?"

"No, I usually send him a text when I get home but he didn't reply tonight so I tried to call to make sure he's alright but he's not picking up his phone."

"Did you try Orlando? They might be at the Stray Sheep getting drunk off their asses like usual." Johnny stood up, putting on a pair of black pants before making his way to the balcony, sliding the glass doors shut behind him. The soft, fleeting night breeze blew by, softly ruffling the black strands of his hair.

"Yeah, that's what my initial thought was so I called him first but he's not with Orlando either so I thought that maybe he's with you. I swear, sometimes it's like I'm caring for a child." He could hear Katherine sigh on the other end of the line.

"Hey, hey, you worry too much. Maybe he's just at home, passed out. Don't worry too much about it okay?" Jonathan allowed a small smile to form on his lips as his eyes rested on the distant lights shining on the horizon from the Downtown District area. When Katherine didn't say anything, he added, "I assure you, there's nothing to worry about. Knowing Vincent, he probably just forgot to text or call you when he got home. Look, I'll drop by his apartment in the morning to wake his ass up and remind him to call you okay?"

"..." Katherine sighed but when she finally spoke, he could tell she was a bit more at ease than when he initially picked up her call. "Alright, thanks Johnny. I really appreciate it. Sorry again for calling you so late at night."

"Hey, don't be all formal towards me now." He let out a small chuckle then trying his best to not sound as serious as he actually was, he added, "You know you can always call me anytime."

"Thank you. Have a goodnight." Through the phone, he could picture Katherine's smiling face as she said those words.

"Anytime. Goodnight, Katherine." And with that, he heard a click followed by the sound of 'beep beep beep' after she hung up. He held the phone against his ear for a moment until it automatically hung up for him as well. He tucked his cellphone in his pocket before resting both hands against the steel railing that served as a fence around the balcony. _'What on earth are you thinking, Vincent?'_ He thought to himself as he recalled the conversation they had along with Toby and Orlando regarding the affair Vincent had with some random stranger. Vincent was the last person on earth that he would think of as a cheater. It was the very same reason why he entrusted Katherine to him and the driving force behind his decision to supress his feelings for her. He knew Vincent was a good guy. A bit immature, yes, but a cheater? That just didn't seem like him at all. He had to contain his emotions and hold back his feelings as to not be transparent to his friends but deep inside, he was very upset at his bestfriend's poor choice.

"Johnny...?" A small, soft voice called out from the small opening of the glass doors that he had apparently left upon his poor attempt to close it behind him during the phone call. He turned his head over to his shoulder to spot Nina, the woman he had been seeing, clutching the thin fabric of his blanket against her chest in an attempt to cover herself up. Concern filled her features as her emerald-toned eyes stared at him.

"Oh, you're up." He closed his eyes as he turned his body to face her, leaning against the railing with his right hand. "Sorry if I woke you up -" His sentence was cut off as Nina opened the sliding door and threw herself against him, wrapping her slender arms around his bare torso. There was a shocked look on his face for a second before looking down at the girl and placing his left hand on her head, patting it lightly.

These days it's getting harder and harder keeping up this charade. Though Jonathan knows of Nina's feelings towards him, he'd tried to ignore it to the best of his abilities. Deep inside, he's pretty sure she knows that she's just a 'substitute' to him for now. Guilt is piling up but this is the only life he's known ever since he fell in love with her - his bestfriend's girlfriend.


	2. CH II: I'm so sorry, Katherine

Chapter II: "I'm so sorry, Katherine."

The early sunrays pierced through the window just above Vincent's bed, reflecting against it's glass as it started to illuminate the room bit by bit. Vincent Brooks laid still in an awkward position with only his polka-dotted boxers on, beads of sweat settling on his forehead. These days he hasn't gotten much sleep and even when he does, he had been feeling so exhausted upon waking up that it didn't feel like he had gotten any rest at all.

"BAM! BAM! BAM!" The door to his apartment clang as an early morning visitor knocked against it which was shortly followed by a familiar voice. "Vincent, it's Johnny. Open up." The loud pounding was enough to awaken him, revealing abnormally bloodshot eyes for a split second before returning to normal. Vincent placed a hand over his forehead as he attempted to slow down his rapid shallow breathing. His eyes finally focused on his boxers while he tried to recall exactly what had happened last night. Coming home was somewhat of a blur and try as hard as he may, he couldn't even recall getting undressed and getting into his bed.

"Vincent!" Johnny's voice sounded a bit more impatient now, something that was unusual in itself since the guy seems to always be calm and collection.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Vincent called out as he sprung on his feet, picking up his pink shirt that was laying on the floor by his bed, putting it on as he made his way to his door. He struggled a bit with pulling the shirt over his head as his uncomb hair seemed poofier than usual then finally after successfully putting it on, he placed his hand on the door handle, opening it for his friend. "Mornin`" He greeted him with his usual side grin.

"Don't_ 'mornin`' _me. What the hell did you do last night?" Johnny walked in, his hands in his pockets as he made his way inside Vincent's tiny apartment.

"Uhh... the usual." Vincent scratched the back of his head with his left hand and closed the door with the other before following Johnny to his bedroom aka the only living space in this tiny place. "I went to The Stray Sheep but none of you guys were there so I just had a few rounds by myself and talked to a few regulars." He added as he sat himself beside his friend on the edge of his un-made bed. His head throbbed as he tried to recall again what had happened that night, causing him to hunch over and rub his temples with his right hand to ease the pain.

Johnny looked over to him before letting out a sigh. "Are you okay, man?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's just a mild headache." He replied quickly as he rested his elbows against his knees, looking ahead.

"That's not what I meant." Johnny mimicked Vincent's posture, clasping both hands together infront of him. "You just haven't been yourself recently. Plus, you've been drinking a lot more than usual."

"I've just been so tired these days, I guess. I haven't been getting much sleep not to mention the situation with Katherine... and the other Catherine." It was Vincent's turn to let out a sigh as he started to rub his temples again with his fingertips. "Sometimes, I don't even know what the hell I'm doing either."

"Katherine called me last night asking if I was with you."

"Oh crap, crap, crap!" Vincent placed both hands on both sides of his head, ruffling his hair roughly with his fingertips. "She's going to be pissed."

"That should be the last of your worries. Look, the way you're living your life right now isn't healthy." Johnny sat up, retrieving a pack of cigarette and a lighter from his pocket. He tapped the box lightly until one popped up, grabbing it with his lips then covering the stick with one hand and lighting it with the other.

"You're really in no position to lecture me you know. Specially while you're smoking like a chimney." Vincent grinned towards his friend, lightening up the direction of their conversation a bit.

Johnny took a puff off his cigarette before retracting it with one hand, exhaling a thin veil of smoke in the air. "Look, smoking is one thing. Cheating is another."

"I know, I know." Vincent placed both hands behind his neck, giving it a light squeeze.

"At least you didn't see the other Catherine last night."

"Well... now that you mention it..."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Johnny placed his cigarette down on the full astray that sat on the small coffee table infront of them before turning to his friend. "Don't tell me-"

"No, no, nothing like that happened." Vincent cut him off, waving his hands infront of him to claim innocence. "I just recalled her coming to The Stray Sheep last night and talking while having a few drinks. Ugh, what the hell am I doing..." He brought both hands against his face, rubbing his eyelids frustratingly.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Johnny looked away, retreiving his cigarette from the astray and giving it another drag. He fought to hide exactly how upset he is at the irresponsible man sitting beside him but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel sorry for his friend. In his head, he couldn't comprehend why Vincent continuously associates with the other Catherine when he always ends up regretting it afterwards. However, the part of him that knows and cares Vincent is able to sympathize with his situation. He let out a light sigh before finally breaking the awkward silence in the room. "Look, maybe you're just anxious about the situation that you and Katherine are in. There are people out there that even get cold feet a few minutes before getting married, maybe you're just going through that."

"That's just it, it makes me even more unsure about this whole marriage thing. I mean, if I'm being like this now, I can't imagine how much of a trainwreck I will be if I go through this."

"In my opinion, you should give yourself time to really sit down and think everything through clearly without the company of boose and... _other things_ so you can come up with an answer you'll be happy with." Johnny took a last huff from his cigarette before putting it out against the astray. "I gotta get to work. Make sure to get back to Katherine as soon as possible, she sounded really worried about you last night." He placed both hands back into his pockets as he made his way out. "Oh and," He turned back to look at Vincent before opening the door. "while you're at it, you may wanna come clean with this whole cheating thing." He turned away, waving his hand slightly before taking his leave, closing the door behind him.

Vincent sat still on his bed for a while, hunching over with his forehead against his hands. He had gotten himself into some serious shit and it doesn't help that he is still constantly making the same mistake by sustaining a relationship with Catherine behind Katherine's back. He turned his head to the side to spot his cellphone blinking against the dark furnish of the coffee table. He let out a deep sigh as he reached for it, flipping it open to see that he had 3 messages and 1 voicemail. He clicked on his inbox and checked each text messages...

From: Katherine

Subject: Hey

Message:

Hi, sorry for the late message. I had just left the company dinner party. I really wish it didn't have to drag on for so long. I didn't really see the point in the whole thing since we didn't really accomplish anything work related and it felt like a waste of time. Still, I guess socializing with my co-workers holds some importance. Anyway, what are you up to? Hope your day went well.

Upon reading her message, it made Vincent feel even worse about what he had done and what was going through his mind regarding the whole marriage thing. He knew he was lucky to have a girlfriend that posseses both beauty and brains. Many people wonder why such a beautiful and succesful woman is with a loser like him who doesn't even have a good paying job and can't afford at least a decent sized apartment. It's really no wonder that he comes over to stay at her place rather than the other way around. Scrolling down, he clicked on the next message.

From: Katherine

Subject: Are you okay?

Message:

Hey, is everything alright? You didn't reply to my message and you're not picking up your phone. I hope you're not drinking again. Anyway, text or call me when you get a chance, okay?

_'Man, did I drink so much that didn't notice my phone ring? I need to make sure I give her a call as soon as possible.' _He thought to himself as he clicked the third and newest text message he received.

From: Catherine

Subject: Sorry for leaving!

Message:

Hey! Sorry for leaving so early and not waiting for you to wake up. I would have wanted to spend more time with you and possibly do what we did last night again ~3 You were so... forceful but don't worry, I kinda liked it. 3 I had an appointment I had to get to but I look forward to seeing you again~

Beads of sweat started to form on Vincent's face as a terrified look crossed his features upon reading the message. _'W-w-w-w-what? I don't recall any of that at all! I don't remember bringing her home let alone doing things with her again! This isn't good-'_

"Bzzt! Bzzt!" The phone vibrated on his hand, snapping him back to reality only to shock him again causing sweat to pour down his face as the words "Call Incoming: Katherine" flashed on the screen. He swallowed the huge, dried knot on his throat before hesitantly picking up the call. "H-hello?" He greeted with an uneven tone as he made a poor attempt to calm himself down.

"Vincent! I've been trying to get a hold of you last night!" Katherine's anger rung through her voice as she continued to demand answers from him, "What we're you up to last night? Don't tell me you've been drinking again?"

"I'm really sorry, Katherine," Vincent held the phone close against his ear with one hand as he scratched the back of his head with the other. "I just decided to call it an early night and forgot to text you before going to bed. I-I figured I should try to get more sleep since I've been really tired recently." He let out a sigh as he rubbed his forehead with his free hand. He didn't exactly like lying to Katherine but what other choice did he have?

"Oh, I see." Katherine's toned completely changed from that of exasperation to relief. "Maybe I overreacted." She continued apologetically and it was obvious from her voice that she was smiling now. "I'm sorry for being so naggy. I guess I just didn't have a good night yesterday and that may have attributed to how I reacted."

"Hey, hey, don't worry about it okay?" Vincent waved his free hand infront of him to calm Katherine as if she was there. Her saying she was sorry for behaving the way she had made him feel even worse for telling her a blatant lie. "It was my fault too for not checking in with you. Johnny dropped by a little while ago and told me how worried you were. I'm sorry for troubling you." It's times like these that he feels really happy to be with a girl like her. Though many people only see her calm and collected side, it always made him feel great whenever he sees this side to her - her being insecure, concerned, remorseful - it's a refreshing reminder that through her seemingly cold exterior lies a girl who earnestly loves and cares for him.

"It's alright, just try to remember next time okay?" Her soft voice resounded through the phone in response.

"Will do. Wanna catch lunch at the Chrono Rabbit later?" He offered as a pathetic means to make up to her.

"I would love to... but I have a lot of things to do at work." Katherine sounded disappointed and for a while there was silence on the line before she finally continued in an effort to save the situation, "But I'll try to finish as much as I can before lunchtime okay? I'll text you later to let you know if I can make it."

"That sounds great! I'll talk to you later then, Katherine." Vincent smiled to himself as he leaned his elbows against his thighs.

"Alright, see you later, Vincent." Click!

Vincent retracted to phone away from his ear, snapping it close. He allowed his arms to hang loosely infront of him as his head dropped down. A deep sigh escaped his lips, his weary eyes closing shut. _'I'm so sorry, Katherine.'_


End file.
